She Wants to Get Married
by gymnast1150
Summary: Cammie loves weddings. All she's ever wanted out of life was to get married. All Zach's ever wanted was for Cammie to be happy, even if that meant her marrying someone else.
1. She Wants to Get Married

**I can't help it...I listen to the radio and songs just inspire me! I've had this one stuck in my head for the past week or two, and it was driving me crazy. So I wrote it down, and voila! This story was formed (:**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Gallagher Girls books' characters or scenes seen in this story, nor do I own the song that inspired it (: Any lines taken from the song were simply used to demonstrate the song within the story...I did not intend to use them as a façade of my own talent, because I don't pretend to be any better than my average self (:**

* * *

 _She Wants to Get Married_

* * *

"Let's get married."

Zach almost choked on his mom's special lemonade, quickly laughing at his best friend and the ridiculous idea she'd proposed. Literally.

"What? Married?" he asked incredulously. "Cam, have you lost your mind?"

Cammie rolled her eyes, a habit she'd picked up recently, Zach noticed. "Obviously I don't mean for real," she scoffed. "You know how best friends always get married when they're little kids?"

"Yeah, when they're, like, six." He couldn't believe he was having this argument with her. _Married?_ To _Cammie?_ It was ridiculous!

She folded her arms across her chest with a pointed glare. "Well, I'm sorry my proposal is four years late, but you just recently decided that I didn't have cooties," she huffed.

"You never had cooties, Cammie."

"Then marry me." She bounced up and down in her swing, excitement bursting from her tiny body.

"Why?"

"Because I want to get married."

"But _why_?"

"Because who _doesn't_ want to get married? Having someone to always love you… It's so romantic," she practically swooned.

He glanced back at his house, his mom talking to Cammie's in their dining room. He wondered what they'd do if they knew what was going on just outside that glass door.

He turned back to Cammie, her eyes bright and hopeful. Of course he wasn't going to tell her _no_. He could never say no to Cammie.

"Okay, fine. Let's get married."

* * *

"You okay?"

Cammie looked over her shoulder, the natural light of the sun beaming in from the window behind her casting an angelic glow. Zach stopped in his tracks in the middle of the reception venue as her haunting blue eyes trained on him. He'd always thought she was pretty, but right then…she was downright _beautiful_.

"I'm fine," she smiled dreamily, looking around the open space at all the wedding decorations she and Macey had picked out. "God, can you believe it? My mom's _actually_ getting married."

"You sound apprehensive," he told her, taking his normal spot at her side and joining her in glancing around the room. "What, didn't think she'd go through with it?"

She elbowed him in the ribs. "Of course, I did," she said. "It's just weird, you know? Most people aren't sixteen when their parents get married."

"Your mom and Joe aren't most people."

She snorted. "Ain't that the truth."

They fell silent. Zach was sure that Cammie had retreated back into wedding land since that's where her head had been the past few months as she and Macey helped Rachel plan the wedding. He, on the other hand, couldn't ignore the flipping of his stomach as Cammie's vanilla scent devoured the air around them, and he tried too hard to act natural—like he wasn't suppressing the urge to stare at her.

"Remember when we got married?" she asked suddenly, her voice breaking through his concentration.

Her words didn't help with the knots in his stomach, and suddenly his mouth was too dry.

She smiled up at him, and even though it made his pulse quicken, it also calmed his nerves.

"Is this what ours would've looked like?" he asked, laughing. The thought of him and Cammie getting married when they were ten was ridiculous.

What was even more ridiculous was that his ten-year-old self hadn't _wanted_ to marry Cammie. _What an idiot_ , he thought.

Cammie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Definitely not." She shook her head. "This is too much."

"Oh, yeah? Then what's the perfect wedding for Cammie Morgan?"

"Well, for starters, it wouldn't be this big," she answered, slowly weaving herself through the dozens of elegant tables. Without thinking, Zach followed, watching her intently as she ran her fingertips along the linen cloths. "Only our closest friends and family would be invited. Like, maybe 50 people, max. It's more intimate that way, you know?"

She glanced over her shoulder again with that charming smile he loved so much.

"Yeah," he agreed, although he didn't entirely know what she was talking about. Weddings were never his thing, and he hadn't yet crossed _being intimate_ off his to-do list either.

"It'd take place out in the country, surrounded by the beauty of nature," she continued, stopping to pluck at a flower resting in one of the tables' centerpieces. "And I'd have magnolias. Not orchids."

Zach came to a stop next to her, and it didn't escape him that he was a little closer than necessary. She looked up at him, her eyes so emotive, practically pulling at his heartstrings. It took every ounce of self-control he had to not pull her close and smash his lips to hers.

"Sounds like you've thought about this quite a bit. You've already got it all planned out," he said instead.

She smiled. "You know how much I love weddings."

"Yeah, all that romantic bullshit you tried to spin on me six years ago," he grumbled.

She laughed at him.

She laughed so hard that she wavered in the heels she wore and leaned into his chest. His arm instantly went around her waist to catch her. He was sure that she was going to brush his hand away, but she looked up at him again instead, her laugh brightening the blue of her eyes more so than the sun still beaming behind her.

Her laughing faded into a dreamy smile, her eyes boring into his. "It must've worked, because you agreed to marry me," she said cheekily.

"Maybe we can just steal the show from your mom and get married today instead?" he joked, giving her a grin of his own.

She didn't laugh this time, but Zach could see the excitement in her eyes. He was shocked when her gaze dropped to his mouth, and he followed her lead as he stared back at her gloss-painted lips.

He was sure she could feel the racing of his heart as he stood there, silently freaking out.

His first kiss.

Not only was that scary enough, but it would be with Cammie—the girl of his dreams. She'd been his best friend for…well, forever…and he'd always wondered if she felt the same way he did, but he never imagined he'd find out like this.

He leaned in, and to his surprise, she leaned in, too. Their lips were a breath away, Zach's other hand slipping around her small body and pulling her even closer when…

"Cammie!" Liz yelled, standing in the open doorway.

They jumped away from each other. Zach cleared his throat as Cammie ran a hand along her curls, both trying too hard to avoid Liz's eyes.

"The bride and groom have requested that their maid of honor and best man join the ceremony," Liz said before turning and heading back out toward the gardens where everyone was waiting in white folding chairs.

Cammie laughed, weaving her way back through the tables to follow Liz, shrugging her shoulders apologetically.

"Come on, Zach." She held out her hand for him, gesturing for him to walk back with her. "The show can't start without us. We have the rings."

* * *

Zach entered his apartment with his mail in hand, throwing his keys onto the table as he shuffled through the mass of envelopes, no doubt all of them being bills he still needed to pay.

He stalled when he came to a crisp white one with a fancy scrawl spelling out his name.

He didn't even need to open it to know what it was, but he did anyway.

 _With great pleasure,_

 _Cameron Morgan and Joshua Abrams_

 _invite you to join them_

 _at the celebration of their marriage_

Her wedding invitation.

The sight of it made him want to puke. Or punch a wall.

He hadn't been thrilled when Cammie told him about Josh barely a month into their freshman year of college, but he never dared to tell her why he _hated_ Josh Abrams so damn much.

Because Josh could make Cammie feel a way Zach never could.

He always wondered if she'd ever felt anything for him, especially after their little moment at her mom's wedding that nothing ever came of. Even after she started dating Josh, he still wondered…

But now, looking down at the invite, he knew it didn't matter whether or not that day had meant as much to her as it had to him.

It was too late.

* * *

It took him almost three hours to drive to the location of her wedding, his self-loathing picking up speed the closer he got. Why he decided to do this, he didn't know. Maybe he was a glutton for punishment? Or maybe he thought this was the closure he needed to finally get over his best friend.

He walked up the pathway leading to the outdoor arrangement, just like her mom's wedding. One look at it all, though, told him that that was the only detail the two weddings had in common.

True to her word, Cammie's wedding was small, out in the country, and there were magnolia's everywhere. There wasn't a single orchid.

"Zach!" Joe exclaimed, embracing the younger man with a huge grin. "So glad you could make it!"

"Wouldn't miss it," Zach lied, pasting on his own smile despite how fake it felt.

"Can you believe it? Cam's getting married," Joe sighed. Zach knew he wasn't disappointed though—more like…satisfied.

Which tore right through Zach's gut. "No, I can't," he told Joe truthfully.

"Between you and me, I've been dreading this day," Joe whispered, leaning in so no one could overhear him.

"Really?" Zach's heart almost burst open with joy. Joe didn't approve of Cammie marrying Josh. Maybe he could stop the wedding and—

"It's always hard for a father to give away his daughter," Joe said with a shrug, but the satisfied smile still remained on his face.

Zach nodded tightly.

He wondered what Joe would say if he knew what Zach was feeling—if he knew that he wasn't the only one giving Cammie away.

* * *

He shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't have even thought about doing it.

But there he was, entering the tent in which Cammie was getting ready to marry another man.

"Zach," she said, turning to face him. Thankfully she was the only one there, and no one else would witness his momentary lapse of judgment.

"Wow. You look beautiful, Cammie," he told her, unable to take his eyes off of her.

She was draped in white, in a simple sweetheart neckline with a lace halter top—he only knew that because it was what she'd always talked about having as the perfect wedding dress. If anything, he was happy that everything had turned out just the way she wanted.

She smiled at him, then she held out her hand for him to take, just like she had all those years ago at a different wedding. Only difference was the gigantic ring on that all-important finger.

He grabbed it, swallowing hard as he forced away the hurt.

"And you look perfectly at home in that Armani suit," she said, smiling as she pulled him to her and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so glad you made it," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"Of course, Cam," he assured her. Like he hadn't spent the three-hour drive trying to talk himself out of coming.

"What are you doing back here? Guests are supposed to stay up front," she said, turning back to the mirror to put in her earrings last minute. She always hated wearing them, he remembered.

She looked at his reflection expectantly, waiting for him to answer her.

But no words came.

He knew what he _wanted_ to say, what he was _going_ to say when he decided to come looking for her—that she should call off the wedding and spend the rest of her life with him instead.

But as he stood there, looking at her glowing face, surrounded by everything she'd always wanted and deserved, he knew he couldn't mess it up for her.

"Zach?" She turned around to face him, confusion and worry hardening her expression.

He shook his head, ridding it of the thoughts of destroying the one thing Cammie had been dreaming of her whole life.

"I just wanted to congratulate you in person," he told her instead. "And to wish you the best." He gave her a tight smile, hoping she was too blinded by her own happiness to see the pain he was in.

She smiled back, her pearly whites beaming at him through the only pair of lips he'd ever wanted, and would never get to kiss.

"Thank you," she said, hugging him again before kissing his cheek and dismissing him so that she could finish getting ready.

* * *

Zach sat at the back of the ceremony, hiding from the view of the altar. He slammed back one last shot of whisky before Pachelbel's Canon in D starting playing and the wedding party began descending down the aisle.

He gave himself a moment to watch as Cammie passed him, the happiest smile on her face as she walked arm-in-arm with Joe.

He turned away when he spotted tears in her eyes, afraid that they'd only encourage his own to fall. He was determined to make it through the whole day without crying, but seeing her uncontrollably happy because of another man hurt his heart more than he ever imagined.

Growing up, she always talked about getting married. It was probably the only thing she really wanted out of life. Through the years, when she talked about marriage, he knew the possibility of her marrying him was slim, and yet he never pictured her marrying anybody else.

It was clear then that she hadn't thought the same.

She'd _always_ wanted to get married.

She just didn't want to marry him.

* * *

 **This one-shot was inspired by the song "Marry Me" by Thomas Rhett. It's sad and depressing with no happy ending, but when I heard it, my mind immediately went to Zammie. I'm sorry that Cammie ended up marrying Josh and not Zach... honestly, now I don't even know why I thought writing/posting this would be a good idea... but it's done now *oh well!* *bring on the hate!***

 **If you want a happy ending, check out the music video! It's _amazing_!**

 **Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts (yes, even the bad ones...they're there...I know it)! Stay awesome (:**


	2. Good In Goodbye

**There wasn't supposed to be a part two, but oh well. You guys know how I am when I get an idea stuck in my head...**

* * *

 _Good in Goodbye_

* * *

It'd been years since Zach last thought of her—even longer since he'd seen her.

The day of her wedding. That was the last time he'd been in contact with her.

He hadn't meant to up and leave her, but watching her with Josh was too hard—much harder than he'd thought it would be—and he knew that if he was going to get over her, then he needed to let her go.

It was hard, mainly because she'd been his best friend for so long that he didn't even know if a life without Cammie was possible. But he managed to do it.

Seven months went by before she stopped calling, her attempts to reach out to him always having gone unanswered or ignored.

After eleven months, he realized he hadn't thought of her for a while, and although the thought was depressing, it showed progress.

Suddenly, five years had come and gone since she'd walked down the aisle and he'd pretended to be happy for her...and they still hadn't talked.

It'd been years since Zach last thought of her…and suddenly, there she was.

* * *

He was outside the restaurant they used to go to for lunch on the weekends back in high school, when he heard a laugh that stopped him in his tracks.

She looked good. _Really_ good. So good, in fact, that he wondered if any time had passed at all. She looked exactly like she did when she was a teenager—sunny blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and a dazzling smile that lit up her entire face.

He couldn't breathe for a moment as he watched her work her way through the crowd on the street, talking to an older Bex like she hadn't a care in the world. He hated to admit it, but she looked happy. _Really_ happy.

He was about to turn around and disappear into the crowd when she happened to look up, and her hauntingly beautiful eyes locked on his.

"Zach?"

He froze, his body tensing at the sound of her voice. He wondered how she was going to react, considering he basically abandoned her with no explanation or even a goodbye. Would she be mad? Would she make him feel even guiltier than he already did? As if that were possible.

Cammie glanced back at Bex, who looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see them.

When she turned to face him again, he noticed her cheeks were painted pink, and she struggled to even look him in the eye. If he hadn't know any better, he'd say _she_ was feeling guilty for what had happened between them.

"Let's do lunch tomorrow," she suggested, catching him completely off guard. "We can catch up on the past five years."

He knew he should've said no. That his sanity and well-being depended on it.

But then again, he never could say no to Cammie.

* * *

"You look good."

Zach nodded uncomfortably. "You too. You look happy, Cam."

A sweet smile spread across her lips. "Do you know how long it's been since I've heard you call me that?"

"Five years."

"Almost six, now."

Had it been almost six years? Zach could've sworn it had only been five. He guessed the fact that he lost track of how long he'd been without her was a testament to how successful he'd been in getting over her.

But then why did his stomach still flip like it did the day of her mom's wedding, when he was mere seconds away from kissing her?

He swallowed hard, hoping she couldn't tell how awkward this was for him.

Her eyes softened, and he knew he'd failed miserably.

He cleared his throat, if only to break the tense silence. "So are you? Happy, I mean?"

She nodded, smiling. "The happiest I've been in a long time, actually."

He nodded again, feeling like a freaking bobble-head doll. He hated that this was what she was to him now—an awkward stranger he didn't know how to talk to.

"Good," he told her when he decided that he should probably say _something_. He almost added that he was glad she was happy and that he was happy for her, but he stopped himself. He knew she'd hear the lie in his voice if he tried.

"What about you? Are you happy?" she asked him. It was sweet the way she asked it, her voice soft and innocent. Like she was really hoping that he'd say _yes_.

"Yeah, Cam. I'm happy."

She smiled again. "So, do you have a girlfriend?" she asked casually. But the innocent question made his mind race with reasons why she was interested. Automatically, as if his eyes were acting on their own accord, he glanced at her left hand, but she had it resting in her lap under the table and he couldn't see if there was still a ring on her finger. He looked away, feeling guilty for even thinking (and slightly hoping) that her and Josh were no longer together. Being married had always been Cammie's dream, and here he was wishing ill of it.

"I just always assumed someone must've snagged you up," Cammie continued, giving him another one of those smiles that had made him fall for her in the first place.

"Nope," he replied shortly. "Still single."

Her smile faltered at his brusqueness. If it had been five years ago, she would've called him out for being so rude. But instead, she let the silence grow between them. Just another reminder of how distant they'd become.

"I'm sorry," they said simultaneously, causing them both to look up and share a quick laugh.

"What're you sorry for, Cam?" Zach asked, astounded by her apology.

"This awkwardness between us…it's my fault," she said with a frustrated shake of her head.

" _Your_ fault?" he gasped. How could it have been her fault when he was the one in love with his best friend? His best friend who had gotten _married_ , no less.

"If I had just realized sooner…" She shook her head again. "I know why you stopped answering my calls, Zach."

He flinched, not just because she thought she knew his reasoning for cutting her out of his life, but because he hated the reminder.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked quietly.

"Cammie, I don't…you were…"he stammered, not really sure what she wanted him to say. What _he_ wanted to say.

"I wasn't always married, Zach," she argued. "How long had you had feelings for me? Since we were kids?"

He shrugged. Honestly, he knew she already knew the answer to that.

"So why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked again, more forcefully this time.

"I tried," he argued. "After your mom's wedding when we almost…" he cut himself off, frustrated and hating that talking to her was so difficult now.

Her eyes softened again. "Kissed?" she finished for him.

He nodded. "But you never brought it up, and I thought that meant something. Like maybe you regretted it."

"I didn't regret it," she offered. "I was just young and dumb, and I didn't understand…"

He waited for her to gather her thoughts and resume talking, because he didn't really have a response to that.

She looked up into his eyes. "I was in love with you too, Zach. I just hadn't realized it until it was too late. Until you'd already cut me from your life."

He blew out a breath. "Seeing you with Josh was too hard. Believe me, I wish I could've been stronger so I didn't have to give you up, but—"

"I'm glad you did what you did," she told him. His eyes grew wide at her confession, and again, he was left speechless. "Sometimes, Zach, there's good in goodbye. If you'd have never left, I never would've realized that I'd made a huge mistake." She placed her hand over his, and immediately he noticed what was missing.

She wasn't wearing a wedding ring.

His eyes snapped back to hers, afraid to give away what he was thinking, but also begging for it to be true.

"Josh was great. And I truly did love him." She shook her head and gave Zach a smile that brightened her eyes more so than that day at her mom's wedding. "But it was you I couldn't live without. And I should've realized it sooner. I'm sorry, Zach."

"But…you said you were happy? The happiest you've been in a long time?"

She nodded, a small giggle escaping those lips he'd never gotten to kiss. "I _am_ happy. After I realized my feelings for you, I was miserable with Josh. I still loved him, but I knew it would never be the same now that I couldn't stop thinking about you. So we got a divorce, and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. I didn't have to pretend to be okay and put on a brave face for him anymore, you know?"

"When did you divorce?" Zach asked. He still couldn't believe what he was hearing. Cammie, the girl who'd _always_ wanted to get married, had gotten a divorce. Because of _him_. He wasn't sure exactly how to feel about that.

"It was finalized two months ago," she answered, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "I was planning on looking for you, but then you showed up yesterday out of the blue. Like a sign."

Her hand still rested on top of his. He turned his over so their palms met, and he laced his fingers with hers. "So…what now?"

She smiled again, and this time, he let his heart stutter at the beautiful sight. There was no reason to fight his feelings anymore.

"Now…I remedy the one thing I've always regretted not doing." She leaned across the table and placed her lips on his.

She'd probably meant for it to be a sweet first kiss—the kind that should've happened ages ago—but Zach couldn't help the desire pulsing through him. He laced his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss, letting her know everything he was feeling and practically pouring out his heart.

"Does this mean you'll start answering my calls now?" she whispered against his lips, giggling when he smashed his mouth back into hers.

* * *

"You ready?"

Zach turned to see Joe standing in the doorway, dressed more impeccably than the last time Zach saw him. For some reason, that made him feel better—like maybe Joe approved of him more.

Zach nodded. "Have been since I was ten."

Joe smirked. Then he led Zach out into position.

Everything was so familiar. So similar to the last time. But this was Cammie's dream, so he did his best to ignore the fact that they were out in the country with magnolias everywhere just like before.

Unlike before, he stood in front of everyone—not hidden away in the back. He still took a shot of whiskey right before the band started playing, but not because he wanted to drown out his sorrows. When he caught sight of Cammie, walking down the aisle towards him in another beautiful white dress with more tears in her eyes and the biggest smile on her face, he didn't bother holding back tears of his own.

Yes, everything was the same as last time, but it was all _so_ different, too.

Because this time, _he_ was the one saying, "I do."

* * *

 **There...a happy ending for all Zammie lovers! When I had written the first chapter, a part of me was wondering if I could pull off writing another one where Cammie and Zach met again years later and Cammie revealed she left Josh. But I wasn't entirely planning on writing this until a few days ago...so hopefully I didn't just ruin this story by adding this last chapter to it :/**

 **This chapter was sort-of, kind-of, not-really inspired by Carrie Underwood's "Good in Goodbye". Really the only part that was taken from the song was them meeting "outside a restaurant they used to go to", and him hearing a laugh that "stopped him in his tracks". Everything else has nothing to do with the song. But it's a beautiful song, so I'd suggest giving it a listen lol.**

 **Thanks so much for reading! Hopefully you liked this ending and I've redeemed myself...?**


End file.
